# What do I call my gun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2007, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356 "2007-12-09T04:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/1 "2007-12-09T04:25:31Z")
No, not ‘Betsy’ or whatever. I have a Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector pre-Model 10 s/n C35xxx. I think that puts its date of manufacture between 1948 and 1951. Does it actually have a ‘name’? If it were made later it would be a Model 10. But what are ‘pre-Model 10s’ called? Is it just ‘Hand Ejector’, like my ‘Hand Ejector, 2nd Model’? ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/2 "2007-12-09T07:51:16Z")
I have a similar challenge with my pre-29 - apparently she’s basically a “.44 Magnum.” As for your pre-10, apparently it’s been in production since ~1899 as the [“.38 Military and Police Model”](http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/model_10.htm). A large batch of these, manufactured during WW-II, were known as "Victory Model"s. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/3 "2007-12-09T14:52:12Z")
I thought it might be an ‘M&P’. I’m more of a rifle shooter, and the main part of my interest is in military history. While I know that S&W revolvers have been issued (the reason I bought my Model 10 snubby was to complete my 1980s USN flight gear), I haven’t studied them as much as I have other firearms. I can say, ‘This is a P.08. This is a 1911, but _this_ is a 1911A1. This is an M1 Carbine manufactured by jukebox maker Rockola.’ But I’ve been at a bit of a loss when it comes to Smiths. I’m expanding my pre-WWII collection, so now I have to know ‘everything’ about them. Can’t call it a Victory, since it doesn’t have the right finish or the V s/n. Since I assume my pre-Model 10 is a civilian model, I wasn’t sure if I should call it an M&P. (And yes, it’s not pre-WWII; but it’s close enough to the pre-war models. Heck, I call my Enfield No.4 an SMLE even though it isn’t. Close enough for casual conversation.) M&P seems a good thing to call it. From your link: > [@](#): > > Around a million of the Military and Police Models, in all their variations, were produced between 1899 and 1948. In 1948 the “S” series was stopped and the “C” series began. Since that time a number of changes have taken place including a renaming of the production line. Early S&W revolvers had 5 screws. Four fastened the sideplate and one (through the trigger guard) retained the cylinder stop plunger. Then the top screw on the sideplate was eliminated and the S&W became a 4-screw. Later the frame was changed and the cylinder stop plunger screw was eliminated and the S&W became a 3-screw. In 1978 the barrel pin was eliminated. Recently there have been changes in the firing pin design. The evolution continues. Still haven’t looked closely enough at the screws to know how to count them. Mine has three screws on the side: One between the hammer and the top of the cylinder, one below the midpoint of the cylinder, and one at the ‘point’ above the rear of the trigger guard. There’s one more screw on the front of the trigger guard at the top. So… Four Screw model? The C-series s/n range for 1948 to 1951 is C1 - C223998. I’m guessing that the C35xxx number puts it at a 1948 production. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/4 "2007-12-09T15:54:52Z")
Slight hijack, but when did they stop calling guns “gats?” In the 40s? (I go way back). ---
**Author:** ![Harry1945](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Harry1945](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harry1945)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/5 "2007-12-10T06:25:41Z")
When I worked one them in a Navy armory in the late 60’s, we called the issued S &W 38’s M & P models. Our XO took a liking to the five-shot K-bodied snub-nose 38’s with the rounded-over grip, so we ordered a dozen of them. As I recall, he was the only one who really liked them. The smaller frame and grip style were better suited to his hands. The issue weapon was my preference…the rounded over grips on the smaller frame made it seem more difficult to control the recoil: the gun wanted to “roll” backwards in my hand. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/6 "2007-12-10T06:49:53Z")
Whatever you do, don’t call it your rifle. [QUOTE=KlondikeGeoff] Slight hijack, but when did they stop calling guns “gats?” In the 40s? (I go way back). [/QUOTE] At a guess, “gat” fell out of favor when large numbers of guys began having to deal with firearms on a daily basis–1941. Gat was never a really common expression, (Groucho Marx notwithstanding), and it would not have taken much to cause it to fall out of general use. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/7 "2007-12-10T07:25:06Z")
[QUOTE=KlondikeGeoff] Slight hijack, but when did they stop calling guns “gats?” In the 40s? (I go way back). [/QUOTE] Not a big fan of The Notorious B.I.G., huh? ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/8 "2007-12-10T07:39:34Z")
I owned a S&W, Model 10. I enjoyed shooting it. It was stolen in a mid 80’s burglary of my house. In the early 70’s I was responsible for weapons training and quals. for a DOD civilian police force. They carried Mod. 10’s. I always thought it a good basic weapon for close police use, given the proper ammo. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-call-my-gun/429356/9 "2007-12-10T08:18:07Z")
Around here we still use the word ‘gats’ but only for catapults